What size should a CV headshot be?

Around 600 to 1000 pixels wide at 80% JPEG quality is sharp in print and usually under 150 KB.

Why did my PNG not get smaller?

PNG compression is lossless, so quality has no effect. Set a maximum width to make it smaller.

Is the image uploaded?

No. It is re-encoded in your browser.

Will it remove the photo's location data?

When the image is re-encoded, the browser writes a fresh file without the original camera metadata. But if re-encoding would not make it smaller, you get your original file back unchanged, metadata included, so do not rely on this tool to strip location data.

Free tool · Images · nothing uploaded

Compress an image

Shrink candidate headshots and agency logos for templates, job boards and email.

Your file never leaves your computer
No sign-up
Image in, Smaller image out

1Choose your file

Drop an image here or click to browsePNG, JPEG, WebP, BMP or GIF · or choose from your computer

Your file never leaves your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

2Check the settings

QualityJPEG and WebP only. 80 is a good default; below 50 starts to show. A PNG ignores this — it is lossless.Max width (pixels)0 keeps the original size. 1920 is plenty for a screen; 1000 is plenty for a CV photo. This is the only thing that shrinks a PNG.

3Get your file

Add a file above to start.

About this tool

This free tool makes a photo or logo smaller: set a quality and a maximum width and it re-encodes the image in your browser. Use it for candidate headshots in a profile template, logos for a job board, or anything too big for an email. No login, no upload.

How it works

1
Drop the image
PNG, JPEG, WebP, BMP or GIF.
2
Set quality and width
80% quality is a good default for photos. For a CV headshot, 600 to 1000 pixels wide is plenty.
3
Download
A smaller file, with the before and after sizes shown.

When recruiters use it

Candidate headshots straight from a phone are often 3 to 5 MB, which bloats a profile template and every PDF made from it. Agency logos exported for print are far larger than a job board or an email signature needs. A maximum width of about 1000 pixels is usually right for a headshot, and 400 to 600 pixels for a logo on screen.

Worth knowing

PNG is lossless, so the quality setting does nothing to it; only a smaller maximum width shrinks a PNG. The tool tells you.
JPEG, PNG and WebP keep their format, so a PNG logo stays a PNG with its transparency. BMP and GIF cannot be written back by a browser, so they come out as PNG.
GIF animations come out as a single still frame.

Questions recruiters ask

What size should a CV headshot be?: Around 600 to 1000 pixels wide at 80% JPEG quality is sharp in print and usually under 150 KB.
Why did my PNG not get smaller?: PNG compression is lossless, so quality has no effect. Set a maximum width to make it smaller.
Is the image uploaded?: No. It is re-encoded in your browser.
Will it remove the photo's location data?: When the image is re-encoded, the browser writes a fresh file without the original camera metadata. But if re-encoding would not make it smaller, you get your original file back unchanged, metadata included, so do not rely on this tool to strip location data.

Headshots placed for you

Formatix templates can include the candidate's photo, cropped and placed consistently, or leave it out for blind profiles.

Browse the template library Blind profile template Try Formatix free, 10 CVs included

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Open source: github.com/OpenRecruiterTools/recruiter-tools (MIT). Uses pdf.js, pdf-lib, JSZip and SheetJS, served from formatix.ai.